Stealing by Margaret Verble - Book Review

Stealing by Margaret Verble

Publication Date: 07th Feb 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction, Coming of Age 

3 Stars 

One Liner: The topic deserves more than what the book delivers 

*****

1950s, Arkansas

Kit Crockett lived with her father after her mother’s death. Her lonely days change for the better when she meets Bella, her new neighbor. However, a gruesome incident rips Kit from her Cherokee family. She is sent to Ashley Lordard, a religious school where Natives are ‘civilized’. Can Kit survive this fight for her identity and freedom?

The story comes in Kit’s first-person POV. 

Don’t read the Goodreads blurb, as it summarizes the entire book. 

What I Like:

The book presented the hardships faced by Native Indians and the constant interference of religious people intent on converting them. It also dealt with how different tribes of Native Indians had their own opinions and prejudices of other tribes.   

The scenes with Kit and Bella were rather sweet. Kit’s a smart kid and capable too. Her interactions with other characters presented a lot of information through insights that helped me visualize them easily. 

The scenes at the Reverend’s house were some of the best in the book. We don’t need much to see the intent and the lengths to which people go to make things happen the way they want. And, of course, the power imbalance in society causing irreparable damage to countless innocent kids.  

The limited scenes set in Ashley Lordard boarding school gave a glimpse of what little kids faced in the name of being ‘straightened out’. Despite the school housing white and native kids, the discrimination in treatment couldn’t have been more evident. 

What Could Have Been Better for Me:

The book is described as “…an ambitious, eye-opening reckoning of history and small-town prejudices…”. While it does deal with the topic of religious schools ‘civilizing’ Indian kids, the book was predominantly Kit’s story. This means that the focus was on Kit rather than the said theme. 

Since the story was written by a young girl, it goes in loops and circles. I could handle it in the first half, but it got way too loopy in the second half. This seemed more like an attempt to sustain the suspense of the ‘incident’ instead of focusing on what Kit goes through at school.

Kit would blank out at the most convenient places for the story to progress. While there are no rules for kids to react to traumatic situations, it got tiring when this happened whenever the plot needed it. My issue is that this wasn’t really necessary. Native kids got separated from their parents for the smallest of reasons (based on the articles I’ve read on this topic), so the core point shouldn’t be why Kit was taken away but what happened after she was. 

The book has two graphic scenes of sexual assault. These come out of nowhere as the writing, until then, mentions abuse but doesn't go into detail. I was better prepared for the second scene (which was more graphic), thanks to my reading buddy, Rosh, who mentioned it in advance. Unfortunately, the scenes don’t add to the story (and contradict Kit’s habit of blanking out when things get tough). 

The ending was open-ended and left to the reader’s interpretation. That meant many questions were unanswered. I wanted a hopeful ending, so I decided everything was eventually sorted out (somehow) for Kit. 

To summarize, Stealing deals with crucial topics of religious conversions, control and abuse of natives, and the horrors of boarding schools for natives. However, it could have been a lot more impactful and poignant. 

I’m a minority here, so read other reviews before deciding. I really wanted to love the book and tend to be liberal with my ratings for topics close to my heart, but with this book, I couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied with the treatment on many levels.  

Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner Books, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #Stealing 

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The book talks of ‘service’, ‘help’, etc., and how much of this is used as a tool for conversion. Interestingly, I came across this write-up when reading the book that discusses the concept of service from two perspectives (dharmic and commercial). 

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P.P.S.: This was a buddy read with Rosh, and I’m glad we could discuss the book (& get it out of the system). It was a tough read for both of us. Do check out her review. 

Also, Rosh, thank you for explaining about Jezebel (& the interpretations) that helped me make sense of a couple of points I wasn’t sure of.